Jan. 6 prosecutor: Rioters freed by Trump ‘have never been more dangerous’

Former federal prosecutor Brendan Ballou says those pardoned by President Trump for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack have “never been more dangerous.”

In an essay published Friday by The New York Times, Ballou urged local officials to protect immigrants and other groups that he thinks the defendants might go after first.

“While some convicted rioters seem genuinely remorseful, and others appear simply ready to put politics behind them, many others are emboldened by the termination of what they see as unjust prosecutions,” he wrote.

“Freed by the president, they have never been more dangerous,” the ex-prosecutor added.

Ballou, who resigned from the Justice Department on Thursday, then listed two high-profile Jan. 6 defendants, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who were recently freed from prison, as examples. 

“They are now free to pursue revenge, and have already said they want it,” Ballou said. 

He argued the effect and the purpose of Trump’s pardons when he returned to office Monday is to “encourage vigilantes and militias loyal to the president, but unaccountable to the government.” 

“Illiberal democracies and outright dictatorships often rely on such militia groups, whose organization and seriousness can range widely, from the vigilantes who enforce Iran’s hijab dress code to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia that have killed government opponents,” Ballou wrote. 

Trump issued around 1,500 “full, complete and unconditional pardons” for defendants prosecuted in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. The total number of people charged was 1,583. The move has sparked vocal criticism from Democrats and even divided House GOP lawmakers. 

“[I] don’t agree with the pardoning of people that committed violence or even damage to property,” Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) said. “If you climbed in through a window, I think probably you knew what you were doing was against the law, and I don’t think it was appropriate to pardon them.”

Ballou suggested that Trump released some of the violent defendants in order to “carry out his agenda and silence his critics through violence.” 

“Vigilantes could harass, assault or even kill perceived enemies of the state. Under the thin pretext that these vigilantes were acting in self-defense, the president could pardon them for federal crimes, or pressure pliant governors to do the same for state ones,” Ballou wrote in the op-ed.

“In such a scenario, the president could put those loyal to him above the law, quite literally,”he continued. “This kind of violence was a part of our past; it may be a part of our future.” 

In his view, local law enforcement should “prioritize” protecting immigrants, transgender people and opposition lawmakers first, as they could be targeted first. 

Two rioters have thus far rejected the president’s pardon and publicly stated their wrongdoing after the 2020 election was certified for former President Biden.